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Doesn’t Every Child Deserve a

Memorable Summer?

Numerous studies show that summer learning opportunities improve academic outcomes for youth.Early and sustained summer learning opportunities lead to higher graduation rates and betterpreparation for college. Summer programs have also been shown to positively affect children’sself-esteem, confidence, and motivation.High-quality summer programs keep students engaged in learning, teach them new skills, andencourage them to develop previously unseen talents. They allow children to form relationshipswith caring adults, help them stay fit and active, and foster creativity and innovation.

The Promise of

SummerLearning

Did you know?

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All young people experience learning losses when they donot engage in educational activities during the summer.Research spanning 100 years shows that students typicallyscore lower on standardized tests at the end of summervacation than they do on the same tests at the beginningof the summer (White, 1906; Entwisle & Alexander, 1992;Cooper et al., 1996; Downey et al., 2004).

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Most students lose about two months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over thesummer months. Low-income students also lose more thantwo months in reading achievement, despite the fact thattheir middle-class peers make slight gains (Cooper et al., 1996).

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About two-thirds of the ninth-grade achievement gap betweenlower and higher income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities during the elementaryschool years. As a result, low-income youth are less likely tograduate from high school or enter college (Alexander et al., 2007).

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Children lose more than academic knowledge over the summer.Most children—particularly children at high risk of obesity—gain weight more rapidly when they are out of school duringsummer break (von Hippel et al., 2007).

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Parents consistently cite summer as the most difficult timeto ensure that their children have productive things to do(Duffett et al., 2004).

To succeed in school and life, children and young adults need ongoing opportunities to learn and practiceessential skills. This is especially true during the summer months. Many Americans have a wonderful image of summer as a carefree, happy time when “kids can be kids,” and take for granted the prospect of enrichingexperiences such as summer camps, time with family, and trips to museums, parks, and libraries. Unfortunately,some youth face anything but idyllic summer months. When the school doors close, many children struggle toaccess educational opportunities, as well as basic needs such as healthy meals and adequate adult supervision.

SPOTLIGHT ON RESULTS

Project Morry is a tuition-free summersleep-away camp and year-round programin White Plains, New York, that focuseson academic enrichment, recreation,and youth development for childrenfrom disadvantaged communities inNew York City. Since its inception in1996, all of the Project Morry graduateshave completed high school, 80 percentenroll in institutions of higher education, and 100 percent of thestudents who enrolled in college have remained in college.SuperKids Camp has served more than 10,000 Baltimore City childrensince 1997. In addition to sailing in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor andvisiting museums, elementary students in the six-week programhone their reading skills. Evaluations reveal that over 80 percentof participants maintain or improve their literacy skills.Summerbridge Pittsburgh, a two-summer, tuition-free program,helps at-risk middle school students increase academic performancewhile building confidence and life skills. Since 1994, SummerbridgePittsburgh has served more than 1,000 children and has a highsuccess rate: More than 90 percent of its participants graduatefrom high school, and 80 percent have gone to college.